Tribal Tattoos, although may appear to be simple at times, are undoubtedly appealing and among the most popular today. This article will help those especially new to the world of tattoos in general and particularly, Tribal Tats. The following walk through history will help shed light on some of the different Tribal Tattoo Ideas used throughout the decades.

The most common Tribal Tats found today dates back to the polynesians who used black, geometric tatau ornaments which appeared to be silhouette-like in many ways. In Europe, sailors were attributed for the earliest Tribal Tat ideas - they originated from Tahiti and were added together with the sailors' own maritime-themed designs. Over the years, they have evolved to become what is known as traditional tattoos.

Over in America, Leo Zulueta and Don Ed Hardy, an innovator, were both responsible for an exciting Tribal Tats boom in 1982 when they started "Tattoo Time", a magazine on tattoos. Featuring native Borneo and Samoan tattoos, it quickly popularized these tattoo ideas as a form of interesting tattoo style and design.

As illustrated from above, these modern day tattoos have strong ties and affiliation with natives and tribes from different parts of the world. It was from there that they slowly evolved into the Tribal Tattoo ideas we have today. Although it has been said that a handful of tattoo parlors and tattoo artists would turn down tribal tattoo designs due to their simplicity, a lot of tattoo enthusiasts begs to differ. Tribal Tats, as a matter of fact, needs articulate skill to be tattooed on the difficult body parts in order for it to look naturally "grown". In addition, it has also been said that the coloring of these tattoos requires a steady hand.

You can find an assortment of tribal tat ideas ranging from tribal armbands, flames, black, crosses, stars, tigers and an assortment of motives and designs that are based on tribal motives. Personally, I have 3 tribal tattoos tattooed on different parts of my hands - one of a tribal flame on my right shoulder, one of a tribal motive which I designed on my left shoulder and another circular tribal design on my right wrist.

We are living in times where tattoos and body modification are more associated with fashion than related to the original idea of getting your body permanently marked for magic, spiritual or personal reasons.

Actually many believe that the first tattoos were created by accident. The most viable theory that I read was that some tribes used to treat open wounds by rubbing or patching them with some kind of herb or flower elixir, which probably produced some kind of ink. This ink while in touch with the cut created a permanent mark and at the same time due to the phototherapeutic use of it helped the wound to heal.

Even if the original meaning and origin of body modification is mostly lost along the history we know that thousands of years ago it was used in many different ways, mostly deriving from the human believes and creativity.

The little that we know about tattoo and corporal modification history allow us to say that they were sometimes used not only as part of healing or transition rituals. They were also used as identification between tribes, bravery and adulthood signs. Some warriors like the Vikings used to get their faced tattooed to frighten their rivals. Other tribes used to tattoo their female's faces to avoid them from being kidnapped or raped by enemies.

In other barbarian cultures, which became famous for their cruelty, before killing their tattooed prisoners the warriors were given the right to de-flash their prisoners and use the adorned skin as a protection charms. The same procedures interestingly enough were repeated during the WWII, but with non adorned skins. What says tons about development and modern civilization.

At this time tattoos, scarification and insertion of seeds and pits under human skin were well seen around the primitive world. Unfortunately in Persia, due to its non erasable character; Tattoos became a way of marking slaves. This idea somehow pleased the Greeks and the Romans which not only marked their slaves; they also tattooed thieves and outlaws.

The human body is the tool through which somebody experiences life and his surroundings as well as interacts and communicates with others. To some people, however, the body is another piece of canvas through which they could express themselves, their beliefs and their traditions.

Drawing a Picture, Telling a Message

Just as paintings hanging on walls make a room more beautiful, body art can enhance a person's good physical attributes. Some ladies have a sunflower tattooed on their backs so that they can wear backless dresses that will reveal their flawless skin adorned by the tattooed flower. In this sense, body art is worn the way diamond necklaces are - it is meant to adorn and enhance the wearer's beauty. However, there are other much more complex reasons for the proliferation and practice of body art. These reasons can be cultural, political, or spiritual.

Body art is extremely common in jails. Tattooing and branding are some of the most common rites of passage for inmates who wish to be part of certain groups. Body art can also be used to declare personal beliefs and political stand. In this case, body art can be compared to graffiti on the wall; it declares what the person wearing the art believes. People in ethnic groups also used tattooing extensively as a form of ornamentation. In some cases, tattoos were used to mark how many people a warrior has killed in battle.

Body Art Types

Widely known types of body art are body painting, tattoos, shaping, scarification, branding and body piercing. Body painting is usually done by painting on the body, usually covering the whole body completely with water-soluble makeup or paints. Body painting is very similar to painting on canvas, however, it can be more difficult to accomplish as the body has contours that makes painting pictures and scenes on the body more complicated.

Tattoos, probably known by all, are permanent decorations on the body applied through the use of an electrically ran needle. Body tattoos usually cover a relatively small portion of the body. Favorite places for body tattoos are the chest, the upper arms, and the back of the shoulders. Body tattoos are relatively permanent, too, as the picture or the letters are etched onto the skin.

Body piercing is accomplished through the use of materials such as beads and precious stones and metals. Ear piercing is probably the most practiced by women and some men for accessorizing. Today, piercing is performed on almost all parts of the body such as the nose, the lips, the tongue, the eyebrows, the bellybutton, the nipples, and others. Shaping, on the other hand, is done to permanently shape the body according to a person's preference. Methods of this type of body art are foot binding - common among Chinese women.

Scarifications are more unconventional methods of body art. There are religious groups that deliberately scar their body (usually with pointed objects like knives) using a prescribed pattern. Somewhat similar to scarification, branding is another type of body art that involves a whole lot of pain. This was originally done to farm animals (cows and horses) and originally used for identification purposes. This is accomplished through placing an extremely hot piece of metal with a certain design on the body until it burns the skin and leaves a mark that may last forever.

Whatever form of body art is practiced, it is certain to elicit varying reactions. Body art can be beautiful, captivating, or disturbing depending on the beholder's point of view and set of values.

At some point in our lives, we would experience the joy appreciating the beauty of flowers, the happiness in giving flowers or and the excitement of receiving them. A flower itself does not have any meaning, just like a cat or a fish. But it's the human emotion that gives a certain value to it and our interpretation gives it a consistent meaning over time. For example, you will see a man giving a bunch of red roses to express his admiration and love to a woman. But you will hardly see anyone with the same bunch of red roses at a funeral. The meanings of the same flower would evoke different emotions with different implications on a different context.

It is the same with flower tattoos. Different flower tattoos would evoke a different emotion and therefore a different meaning to the beholder. Not only the women are getting flower tattoos, some men like to ink them too. Most flowers have acquired a consistent meaning over time, but when you combine it with a different object in a tattoo, the meanings get altered altogether. Have you seen a black rose with a chain around it as a tattoo on a man's chest? Do you think the flower tattoo would mean love or perhaps hatred?

The fact is that flower tattoo designs are going to be popular. Dragons are popular with men but flowers are most sought after by women. Maybe it's the color, or the shape, or the scent of it or a combination of all the senses that makes people want to see, touch and smell it. Flowers can calm a person and gives you a sense of peace. Having a flower tattoo inked on your body is like having a permanent flower with you all the time, except this particular flower does not withered over time.

What most tattoo artists are concern about is the customer who is not sure of what she is tattooing and would like to change the design after the tattoo is permanently inked on the body. The sad truth is that tattoos cannot be removed easily without some form of scarring and pain. The reasons for wanting to change the design are varied, but one of the common reasons is that they did not understand the meaning of the flower tattoo until much later. So to prevent this kind of 'accidentally' tattooing the wrong flower on your body, here is a list of common flowers tattoos and their meanings.

1. Meaning of Rose TattooRose tattoos are stunning when done tastefully on a woman. So far it is the most popular tattoo with the females although we have seen men with rose tattoos. Somehow men shun away from flowers because the flower tattoo would mean a soft and gentle character and towards a feminine personality. It's is quite weird to see a huge macho muscular male with six packs and a flower tattoo on his arm. But if that flower tattoo is combined with a skull, then the softer meaning of the flower would be even out by the skull, which would mean guts, courage and fearless.

Different types of roses have different meanings. For example, the red rose means sincere love and respect, courage and passion. You have seen in the movies or maybe even done it yourself and give a red rose to a loved one to express your love and passion. So instead of giving a rose to a love one, you may want to tattoo the rose with her name on it on your arm or your chest. That way, that flower tattoo would mean you love and respect her forever. (But no skulls please) If you are able to get the tattoo artist to add in some colors to the flower tattoo, you may want to consider a yellow rose tattoo. Yellow roses meant jealousy in Victorian times. But in our contemporary world, they signify friendship, joy, gladness and freedom, the promise of a new beginning. A pink rose tattoo means grace and gentle, a white rose means spirituality and purity and a lavender rose means love at first sight. A blue rose tattoo means mystery and symbolizes "achieving the impossible". A black rose tattoo symbolizes death, either you are mourning the death of a love one or you are very pessimistic.

2. Meaning of Hibiscus Tattoo The hibiscus flower is another popular flower tattoo with tattoo artists. The hibiscus flower is most commonly seen in the tropical country but is less often used as a gift. The hibiscus flower belongs to the family Malvaceae. It gets its name from the Greek words Hibiscus meaning "mallow" and rosa-sinensis meaning "Rose of China". The flower itself means delicate beauty. If you decide to ink the hibiscus flower tattoo, then other than its aesthetic attraction, it would symbolize exquisite and elegance. It would also mean you have grace and charm. Depending on the combination of colors, the hibiscus flower tattoo can really enhance a person's grace. You can combine the red flower tattoo with bright green petals. That would be really charming.

3. Meaning of Lily TattooThe Lily flowers are cherished for their fresh and calming colors and can be used for many occasions, like visiting a sick friend in the hospital. Lily has been an important flower ever since the Biblical period. According to the Bible, petals of white lily signify virginity, purity and the radiant soul of Virgin Mary. The Chinese and the Greeks have also used white lily to symbolize purity. To the Chinese, the lily flower is used to symbolize summer and abundance. The Greeks believe that Lilies were born out of the breast milk of Goddess Hera. The Lily flower is also associated with the Roman Goddess Venus. So inking the Lily tattoo would mean purity of the person and you want the tattoo to symbolize peace and harmony.

4. Meaning of Lotus TattooIn Buddhism the lotus flower is a symbol of enlightenment. All the petals means the different constant struggles in our lives and the center of the flower represents the state of enlightenment. The development of the lotus from ground up symbolizes the awakening to the spiritual reality of life. For the Buddhists, Lotus symbolizes the most exalted state of man, his head held high and his feet rooted in the world of experience. You can see the Lotus flower carved into every platform supporting a statue of Buddha. It is a very powerful symbol and meaning in the religion.

This symbolism is also evident in Hinduism where the lotus is the foremost symbol of beauty, prosperity and fertility. According to Hinduism, within each human inhabiting the earth there is the spirit of the sacred Lotus. It represents eternity, purity and divinity and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, youth and describes feminine beauty. So a Lotus tattoo would be used as a symbol of life. The Lotus flower tattoo would be most suitable for those seeking an understanding of humanity and has probably been through the ups and downs of life. You may also use the Lotus tattoo to depict a struggle in life.

Today is the one year anniversary of Farrah Fawcett's untimely death. What better way to pay my respects than to celebrate her contribution to the wonderful world of haircare and glamOUR?! She was discovered in 1968, during her sophomore year at college, when a Hollywood publicist saw her photo in a "Ten Most Beautiful Coeds" pictorial in Cashbox magazine. She quickly moved from Texas to LA and began a modeling career, appearing in numerous TV commercials and print ads including Noxzema shaving cream, Wella Balsam shampoo and the 1975 Mercury Cougar. She quickly began accepting acting roles, playing supporting roles on TV shows like I Dream of Jeannie and The Six Million Dollar Man (which starred her then husband Lee Majors).

She is of course most fondly remembered for her role as the glamorous private detective Jill Munroe on Charlie's Angels. Jill was the sporty and athletic Angel, and spent most episodes running around LA in tight t-shirts, no bra with very....er.....protrusive nipples! Farrah's nipples caused such a scandal on network television that the wardrobe department was instructed to cover them with tape. Even more popular than her perky nips was her iconic feathered hairstyle, which women across the world copied en masse. In years prior, women's hairstyles were either meticulously styled and shellacked with hairspray or ironed stick straight and parted down the middle. When Farrah appeared on the scene, there were wings and layers and "effortless" movement; it always seemed like she had a high powered fan pointed at her at all times!

Farrah shocked the world (and producer Aaron Spelling) when she abruptly quit the series after only one season. An intense legal battle ensued and as part of her settlement, Farrah was forced to return for six guest appearances over seasons three and four of the series. She went on to star in films and TV movies of the week, but she will ALWAYS be Jill to me! ♥

Cheesecake!

Get into this "clean", 70's "natural" beat!!

This is the only style of champagne glass to drink from! Fuck a flute!

When it comes to beautiful and sexy tattoo designs, one can't help but think about angel and fairy tattoos. They seem to exude a sense of beauty, magic and spirituality when inked on one's body. These creatures are gorgeous and appealing in their natural forms. Not only that, they hold significant meaning as well making them even more attractive as tattoo designs.

Angel tattoos are extremely popular yet it can still be unique as each person can have a different adaptation of the angel. It can be a warrior angel, brave and determined to cast one of the bad angels out of Heaven. It can be a guardian angel whose symbolize protection, guardianship and moral values. It can be a cute cherub to depict innocence and playfulness. It can also be an angel who represents the memory of a loved-one who passed away. It would look good when tattooed on large areas of the body such as the back, rib, arm, shoulder or just about anywhere else. Angel tattoos are definitely one of the most flexible and versatile types because of the almost unlimited number of ways that they can be executed.

Fairy tattoo is another exciting and sensual way to express one's individuality especially the women. Fairies are a representation of childhood innocence, playfulness and magical fantasies. They are often portrayed as diminutive winged humans who possess magical powers; they are dainty, sweet and innocently charming but can be clever and mischievous at times. These are characters that women can relate to that is why they favored fairy tattoos to express a part of their personality. They can be tattooed in varying colors and can be combined with other design elements including butterflies, flowers, moon and stars to create a mythical piece of art.